An eye for detail, strong organisational skills and the ability to see a problem from a fresh perspective are some of traits lineworker Wade Herbert attributes to his career success at Ventia. 

Wade started his career as an apprentice more than 14 years ago in the first Ventia cohort to complete the four-year lineworker apprenticeship with client Ergon Energy. 

Ventia delivers construction and maintenance of overhead and underground powerlines throughout Queensland for this client.

Throughout his career, Wade embraced every opportunity to learn, fill in more senior roles and try different tasks.  Over time, his willingness to learn and 'step-up' when required saw him working closely with his supervisors and running larger projects.

"I love the complexity and the problem solving you're required to bring to a task 'on the go'," says Wade. "I enjoy working outdoors and am a hands-on, visual person, so this job was made for me…or the other way around maybe!"

His enthusiasm meant he gained exposure and experience working with budgets, costs, and resourcing and liaising with the client. Appealing to his sense of detail, order and streamlined processes, Wade progressed to his current role of Overhead Supervisor. 

Wade relishes the challenge required to plan a task to perfection. Scoping, auditing, booking permits and outages, pre-planning, equipment ordering - it is his job to make sure things are well organised and crews have everything they need to complete a job, all in a small window of time to minimise inconvenience to Energy Queensland's customers.

Wade's colleague, James Young, who completed his apprenticeship under Wade says, "When I was an apprentice Wade was a great mentor. He taught me to pay attention to detail, but also to always think about if there is a more efficient and safer way to do things." 

In the work that Wade and his team perform, safety is crucial, and Wade says that the Ventia Critical Risk Protocols (CRPs) - an essential set of requirements outlining how to manage critical risks - help guide them safely in their work each day."In some days, we could almost tick each and every one of the CRP's," he said

Electrical safety is clearly the most relevant, given the nature of the job, and Wade says that the team maintains a strong focus on managing this.

This year Wade has been nominated to participate in Ventia's Leadership program. "I'm keen to develop my management skills, to really open up opportunities and broaden my experience within different industries," he says "and Ventia can give me the opportunity to achieve that."